Food from my mental garden–some edible, all ripe!

Category Archives: Gluten Free

One of the most nostalgic food scents for me is onion frying in olive oil. I think the reason why it’s so nostalgic is because it’s the base for most, if not all of my favorite things to eat. There are very few dishes I make that doesn’t include sautéed onion as its base ingredient. I believe a truly great dish begins with onion and goes on to reveal endless layers of fragrance and flavors. Adding the first burst of aromatic, woodsy herbs and garlic to the onion gets a flavor party set in motion that really won’t stop until it hits your palate. In the end, the onion gets to be the thing that holds the entire dish together. If you’re a fan of onion and layers of stewed vegetables and herbs, try today’s recipe. This is Ratatouille and Parsley Pesto Crusted Mahi Mahi. Continue reading →

Looking for an elegant supper to make for you and your sweetie? Cooking dinner for a date tonight and not sure what to make? Forget all the innuendos, this is Chef Roy Choi’s Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil from Jon Favreau’s latest film, Chef.

I grew up in a country where every meal features ingredients directly sourced from a home garden, so it’s no surprise I get absolutely giddy during farmers market season. But it’s not just the freshness that I enjoy–it’s the entire process. Snapping sprigs of fresh thyme from a sturdy branch, plucking little round peppers away from leaves, the smell of tomatoes fresh off the vine. While all the snapping and plucking is already done for greenmarket patrons, I relish the times I can get into a garden and retrieve the ingredients on my own.

Let’s pretend I’ve been here all along. Let’s just skip the casualties and move right along to what’s really important…Portuguese cod, potato, Mediterranean olives, grape tomatoes, wine, lemon, fragrant thyme, garlic–perhaps that’s a good cue to cut. This is my go-to recipe for a quick, delicious and unsuspecting dinner. This is Portuguese-style Cod and Potato.

Sometimes all it takes is one ingredient to elevate an otherwise ordinary dish. That ingredient could stand alone or be part of a whole–like Herbs de Provence to roasted poultry or green mango to a West Indian fish curry. When you’re eating it, you just know. I’ve discovered that everlasting ingredient for possibly every Asian dish I plan to make from now on. Black Bean Chili Paste. It’s so freaking good I could spread it on toast and eat it for breakfast! This is Chinese Stir-fry Noodles enhanced with the best chili bean paste I’ve ever had.

I found this recipe in my list of drafts and realize that I don’t have a photo for it. I had to resort to “borrowing” one from wikipedia. It’s a simple, delicious recipe that I think you’ll enjoy. Since it’s way too hot to turn on the oven, try parboiling and grilling them instead. This is Balsamic Roasted Fingerling Potato with Lemon Aioli. Continue reading →

I’ve on many occasions expressed my love of Chopped, my ultimate fantasy of standing before a basket of mystery ingredients with a pantry of opportunities before me. Well, there is no basket involved, but today I stood before a reusable bag of farmers market finds and boy did I succeed. This is my Farmers Market Fish Sandwich with Apple and Cabbage Asian Slaw. Continue reading →

There’s this thing about blogging where if you don’t post something for more than say…5 days, you feel like you’ve fallen off the face of the earth and have no hopes of climbing back to the surface. I spent the past week there and it took a combination of things to get me back on track. The good thing is I’ve been eating, delicious food at that, and I kept cooking. Continue reading →